Who knew how well I would survive going on vacation without thoroughly planning it & being organized about my travel plans? Well, let's say it was definitely a growing & learning experience for me! I am so grateful to be an American and hold a U.S. Passport - the power that it has when visiting other countries make me so blessed. The amount of restrictions I have when visiting other countries is limited compared to so many other nations where they have to go through more loopholes to enjoy the luxuries that I have. Definitely thankful & proud to be an American.
Phuket, Thailand -
What a dreamy city you are! Lined with an endless amount of beaches all along its coast, sounds like my type of va action spot! We were able to rent a motorbike and navigate our way through this beautiful island filled with so many breathtaking viewpoints. Being able to travel on our own and not be on a time schedule allowed us to be in the moment and take everything in.
I learned that September was not a good month to travel as it is rainy season in Thailand and everywhere we traveled to was raining, but we didn't let that stop us from adventuring! Next time I will have to be more detailed about my planning, like how I usually am :) instead of buying a one way ticket on a whim! Not what I am used to.
Koh Phi Phi, Thailand -
The clearest blue waters I have seen!! If I could wake up to this view everyday if I could, I would. Everywhere we looked around Koh Phi Phi was purely magical. God definitely spent a little more time at this place to make it a gem. We were able to go on a longboat to go island hopping around the region & go snorkeling with the fishes, which I thought would be scary but wasn't! We fell in love with bamboo island and definitely is a place we would revisit again along with exploring new islands in that region of Thailand.
The lime stones surrounding Koh Phi Phi made the islands simply gorgeous.
Chang Mai, Thailand -
The city with the best foods in all of Thailand!! This was literally food heaven for me. All we did was eat, eat, & eat. We couldn't stop eating because everything was so delicious & inexpensive! I was able to indulge in all my favorite Thai foods - Pad Thai, Khao Soi Noodles, Mango sticky rice, Thai iced tea, papaya salad, & so many more sweet treats! We didn't save enough time for Chiang Mai, and will have to be back to give it more time to explore. We landed in Chiang Mai on the weekend and needed to find a Catholic Church to attend, thankfully we were able to locate one in that entire city! We walked the five miles to attend mass, and God had blessed us with a sun break during our walk to church so we were able to stay dry until we arrived at church.
Chiang Mai is filled with a tremendous amount of temples, where there was one every block we walked! I have never seen so many temples in my life. It only aspires me to travel to Rome one day to visit the beautiful churches and catch a glimpse of The Pope!
Every Sunday the city holds a Sunday night market where travelers may indulge in all the foods Thailand has to offer along with souvenirs and knick knacks. We walked for five hours that evening along that street and hadn't even finished walking the entire street! It stretched out for so long, that I don't even know if we made it halfway!
Chiang Rai, Thailand -
This city in the northeast region of Thailand is near Laos & Myanmar. What a brutal ride it was from Chiang Mai to here, and one that definitely got me sick. I wasn't able to enjoy this city as much as I could if I was healthy & got some decent rest in. This was where all the constant traveling hit me and I learned that the backpacker lifestyle was not for me. I can't be constantly be living at airports, ferries & buses traveling from city to city so often which is so exhausting. I need more than three days at each city to give myself time to rest and enjoy all that is has.
The places I was able to see here was the White Temple where th entire temple was built with white glass - a sight to see. We visited th golden triangle, where the three countries border along the Mekong river and where the drug trafficking used to take place back in the day. The last place we visited was the Long Neck tribe, where I was able to hear about their story and why they practice what they do. It was so fascinating to learn about it! These women start wearing these coil rings around their neck starting at age 5 years and get switched out a new one every five years until they are 35 then they wear it for the rest of the lives. These coil rings weigh up to 15 lbs!
Siem Reap, Cambodia -
We decided to skip Laos & go straight to Cambodia from Thailand due to me not feeling well so we could return back to Vietnam early if needed. Angkor Wat was on my list of places to see and what a culture rich place it was to visit! Being able to see in person the beautifully crafted temples & ruins, made Cambodia for me. Pictures do not do this place justice. It fascinates me that these people were able to create these temples without the technology and resources that we have today! My favorite one was the Bayon temple, part of Anglor Thom. The faces that people carved, and how symmetrical they were all built. Wow.
My body was so weak that I needed to head back to Vietnam early and recover. The sleeping bus that we took from Siem Reap back to Saigon, did not help how I was feeling at all. That bus ride was a learning experience for me to not travel by that method again! I had to let go of all my expectations of cleanliness, friendliness, & professionalism. I just wanted to make it back to Saigon.
Thankfully we made it back after a very dirty 15 hour journey and I was able to rest & revcover to gain my health back. Unfortunately, the trip didn't end the way I wanted it to.
Overall, this vacation was filled with many wonderful memories and plenty of learning experiences for the next time I travel! There will be more planning added to how I travel next time that's for sure!
Phuket -
Thai iced tea for 30 baht!
Thailand style ice cream! Where they hand rolled it - amazing! :)
Koh Phi Phi -
Chiang Mai -
Ice cream right outside of church!
Chiang Rai -
Long neck tribe:
Golden triangle:
Siem Reap:
